Toronto

New Delhi

Video marketing is already a big player in marketing success, but why has it not been embraced by so many companies in waging a war on visibility? Calgary video marketing is no exception. The vast majority of companies have a good marketing and social media marketing strategy, but video is not part of it. There is a wealth of material out there in video marketing Calgary loves, but it seems to be invisible to those social media managers who are scheduling it. As a city, we need to integrate video marketing into everything we do.

And it’s not simply that videos are popular or consumer-driven. More than 80% of senior executives watch more video than they did a year ago and three quarters of executives are watching work-related videos every week! And given the choice, 59% of Calgary executives would rather watch a video than read an article. So whether you’re a B2C or B2B company, video is becoming essential in your digital marketing strategy.

Having videos increases open rates, increases click-through rates, and reduces unsubscribe rates in email marketing. Videos have been found effective by marketers for brand awareness, lead generation and online engagement. Video marketing is becoming so popular and effective that the marketing company HighQ named 2015 The Year of Video Marketing back in October 2014. The reasons they gave were presented in an infographic.

These statistics alone should make your stop and think about how much video you have on your web site and social media. Increasing your video count will help with a number of features, but to make the most of it you need to make sure it is hyper- local. A Calgary marketing video centered around your company, service and product will appeal to a local audience and make them prepared to buy. To achieve that, you need a video marketing strategy.

How do you create a video marketing strategy?

Whether you’ve just stepped into the scene, or you’ve been using videos for ages and have an amzing library of ready to use streams, you need a road map outlining what it’s all for, where you’re going, and how you’ll measure success.

Your plan doesn’t need to be incredibly detailed as the performance of your first few videos will often reveal that you need to make some necessary modifications, but you should have a good idea of how you’ll align video content with the goals of your company.

A solid plan can be the difference between knowing your content is delivering ROI and increasing your ability to more produce attractive, engaging video content, versus throwing moving pictures out ‘there’ in the hope that someone, somewhere actually watches them (because they usually won’t).

Publishing Schedule

Just as you time your tweets and Facebook posts to run consistently, your video marketing plan should have legs, as well. Instead of posting one video about a new product, think of your campaign in terms of a series. What type of story can you tell that will allow you to post it in multiple parts over the course of several weeks?

Once you’ve determined the content of your videos, set up a schedule. Space the videos out evenly, timing them to lead up to a big product launch or event. Continue to strategize new video campaigns that can keep your brand fresh in customers’ minds long after that big date.

Short-Form Videos

Social media has revolutionized the way online users communicate with each other, with short, concise statements trumping longer forms of content. Micro-video apps shorten videos to less than ten seconds, making them ideal for sharing on sites like Twitter and Instagram. In this format, customers can quickly view a message as they scroll through their social media feeds. Brands can quickly send a message that will be seen by a larger audience, especially on Vine and Facebook, where they automatically play as a user scrolls past.

Outline the types of videos and topics you’ll create

It’s important to outline the scope of your work when you’re starting to implement videos across your business. Start by looking at which functions of the business will use video and whether the assets will be used internally or externally, or both.

For example, an enterprise software company may want to categorize video content based on how it supports different business functions, such as products, human resources, corporate events, internal communications, sales, support, etc. From there, determine what types of stories you want to tell to support each of those functions.

Under products, you may want to tell stories about specific product lines or themes such as analytics or optimization. Those stories will serve as your official content pillars on which you’ll build video concepts and campaigns—usually broad and typically not too product-heavy at the top of the funnel.

After determining the stories you need to tell within each function across your organization, you’ll be able to brainstorm the types of videos that will best tell them. They may be recorded webinars, how-to videos, thought-leadership interviews, product demos, customer testimonials, or case studies.

A good way to start is to discover the questions your target audience is asking, and then answer them with detailed content. By creating videos about these topics you will not only benefit from the enhanced SEO but also build a reputation as an expert and earn the respect of your audience.

A side note: While in-depth detailed content is important, you’ll also feature some compelling, high-level brand stories to attract your target customers at the top of the funnel. Then map your video content to all parts of the funnel and drive viewers through the buying cycle.

Establish who is responsible for creating content

Depending on the resources available, you may be investing in an in-house videographer or a team of video marketers, or you may be outsourcing content to an agency. Start by assessing your budget and figuring out who you’ll count on to do what work, and how you’ll make that determination for various projects.

Outline who is responsible for creative concepts, who will write scripts, who approves content, who handles the logistics of a video shoot, and who is responsible for distributing the videos once they are complete.

It might be helpful to create an editorial board of key stakeholders to consult for feedback. That feedback will be critical during the process, but be mindful of having too many cooks in the kitchen.

Figure out how you’ll measure performance

Just as with written content, you need to produce, release, and review your videos and their analytics to justify their investment in the medium.

Metrics might still be a scary word in some corners, but video is easier to measure than you might think. Because video is distributed in a player or “container,” you can get data for wherever is syndicated through a video marketing platform. Even better, your video data can contribute to more accurate lead-scoring because you’ll be able to see which prospects are watching which videos and for how long.

Some important metrics to track for each video campaign you release:

Attention span and drop-off rates: Does more than 60% of your audience make it to the end of your videos on average?

Click-through rates: Split-test the results for email content with and without video content.

Total amount of your video content that your leads consume: How many videos do individual leads watch in a day? A week? A month?

Here are only a few tips to help you formulate your own effective Calgary video marketing campaign, there are many others out there, but you need to find what works for you. You can only develop an effective video marketing campaign once you start to upload material and start to track it. Just don’t be afraid – jump in fast! Just make sure you capture it all on video!